This G1 1200m run under set weights and penalties saw the big horse Julius sit outside the leader in a basically a pressure-free race and in a sprint home hang on by neck. The winners and where they turned for home in race order were third (four-off the inside and two lengths from the leader), fifth (four-off the inside and two lengths from the leader), third (eight-off the inside and three lengths from the leader), led (six-off the inside and a length clear), second (three-off the inside and a neck from the leader), fifth (four-off the inside and six lengths from the leader), fourth (six-off the inside and a length from the leader), third (six-off the inside and length and a half from the leader), second (three-off the inside and a neck from the leader) and seventh (eight-off the inside and three lengths from the leader). Julius had a luxurious 56kg for a horse of his record where he has only missed the top three lifetime twice and ran fourth in both of them. The last time he carried 56kg before today was back in March of 2018 and he won that day a G3 here at Ellerslie. He has won two Open Handicaps in that period carrying 59.5kg and then the start before today a G3 with 60kg so was pitchforked in no matter how you look at it. Today was his ninth win from sixteen starts and he had the perfect weight and the way the race was run with it being a sprint home only sprint, which are very rare to say the least. In a 1.09.70 run race Julius came home his last 600m in 33.30 so only had to sit outside the leader on settling in what for a G1 race was as sedate a first 600m as you are likely to ever see. The Australian bred and visiting Winter Bride ran a clear favourite after being plunged by backers and she almost pulled it off but needed the race to be run faster and with more pressure. The 5yo mare was used up wide going forward early and ended up fourth wide in the open at the 800m and third wide in the open across the top, so to keep coming and go down a neck to a rival she only had 1kg less than was huge. She had not won a race since a G3 under 58kg just under 9 months before today. Another Australian bred mare in Evalina ran a super third after being tardy and coming from last on the inner with a game finish to be beaten a length. Dawn Patrol ran a solid fourth from the trail but had every chance while Pretty To Sea came with a big run from the back for fifth and be beaten just under a length and three-quarters. Anything that did not run on today to some extent was disappointing as they went so slow early but with the winner coming home so fast the last 600m they could not mathematically win if too far back. Volpe Veloce and Speedy Meady deadheated for sixth with the former running on well but so she should from sixth on settling and the latter being the leader that had no pressure and got away with a very cheap first 600m. The first seven home unsurprisingly were covered by less than two lengths. The only two poor runs came from the 3yo filly Kali with 51.5kg that finished second last after racing fifth and being keen and the Irish bred Endless Drama that got back under topweight of 58kg and never did anything to be beaten just under eight lengths. This race and result did not stack up seventeen days later in the G1 Telegraph (1200m), which is run under set weights and penalties too, with the top three home today finishing fourth, fifth and seventh. To make a mockery of this result too Endless Drama ran sixth beaten five lengths and was just three-quarters of a lengths behind the fourth finisher Julius. This was one off if not the most pressure-free G1 sprints ever contested in New Zealand and even more surprising was just one winner has come out of this since and that being It's Destinys Child that ran ninth in it. Its Destinys Child won a G3 with 59kg twenty-four days after today where carrying 53.5kg and being beaten just over three and a half lengths in the Railway. Just one winner coming out of this since cannot even be explained by Covid19 stopping racing in New Zealand for three months (late March to late June), as almost all of the Railway field raced twice afterwards and a handful of runners had many more starts.